02.19. CONFESSION - 01 - What is Confession?

CONFESSION – 01 – What is Confession?

      This part of the lesson has to do not with confession of sins to God or man, but with the confession of faith which the Lord has asked for on the part of every one who would put on Christ in baptism and receive the privileges of church fellowship and membership. All religious bodies agree that some confession of faith should be made, unfortunately, many do not seem to realise that the Lord Jesus who established his church made full provision for its creed and confession.

What is It?

That there was some definite confession asked in apostolic days is proved by Paul’s words to Timothy. Twice in one short passage the apostle refers to what had at that date assumed the definite name of "the good confession." The reference is made in such a way as to imply that the phrase had a well-known connotation. Paul says: "Lay hold of the life eternal, whereunto thou west called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. I charge thee. in the sight of God, who giveth life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession," etc. (1 Timothy 6:12-13). Notice the definite article, and the precise reference implied in its use; the Common Version has seemingly done its best to obscure this point by rendering weakly and variously, "a good profession" and "a good confession." This passage shows that the apostle has not in mind merely the acknowledgment of Christ in a faithful Christian life, nor the daily witness in word appropriate thereto (for it was "the good confession" made unto eternal life). More, Paul says Jesus witnessed "the good confession" before Pilate. We are told in the Gospels of two confessions which Jesus made at his trial--one before the high priest who asked him, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" when he replied, "I am" (Mark 14:61-62), and one before Pilate who enquired, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" to which Jesus answered, "Thou sagest" (Mark 15:2). In each of these confessions we have Jesus’ witness to his Messiahship. We have to remember that the whole trial of Jesus, the accusation of him before Pilate, was due to the claim that he made to be the Christ, the Son of God. The question had often come up (see esp., John 7:26; John 9:22; John 12:42). In Matthew 16:16-18 we read that Jesus had carefully elicited from Peter the confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son, of the living God," Jesus declared Peter blessed for making it, and further said that the truth so confessed was the rock-foundation on which the church would be built. Paul in Romans 10:9 says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"; and in Romans 10:10 he adds, "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These texts show what has to be confessed ("Jesus as Lord," cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3), and that it is not merely the confession of a holy character, but a definite confession in words ("with the mouth" is twice stated). We have then a required confession of faith not in a system of theology, not in humanly devised creeds or articles, not in a compendium of Scripture truth even, but in a Divine Person. Jesus asked folk to confess him (Luke 12:8). In complete accord with these Scriptures, we have the early preachers’ proclamations of the Christ. Peter preached the first gospel sermon for the purpose of leading to a belief in Jesus: "Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know assuredly that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36). Philip preached Jesus (Acts 8:35). Acts 8:37 is probably an interpolation (see R.V. and margin); so we do not use it here. It is quite in harmony with other passages, though, and it is known to have been in existence as early as the time of in the second century Those who believe in its being an interpolation yet allow its accord with New Testament practice and, as Plumptre says with "the received type of the prevailing order for baptism." Paul preached Christ and him crucified (see 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:3). We learn, then, regarding this good confession that God the Father made it (see Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5), Christ made it, Peter made it, Timothy made it, and Jesus would have all to make it. It is the only confession which we are authorised to demand. It is all-sufficient, wide enough to include all who wish simply to believe in and obey the Lord Christ, narrow enough to exclude unbelievers. It is enough, for he who believes in Jesus with the heart will believe all the words of Jesus, and the words of his accredited apostles, and will do what the Lord asks of him. Loyalty to Jesus is the supreme test of the Christian. Our "good confession" exalts him and puts him at the very centre of our religion. We have no right whatever to put our views regarding anything in the heavens above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth, in the place of the simple confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.